


stuck in some time loop and you're not making it any better

by skinandbones



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action/Adventure, Ardyn is stuck and he can't get out, Gen, M/M, minor fluff, time loops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 06:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9806351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skinandbones/pseuds/skinandbones
Summary: Ardyn is stuck in a loop, because Noct never quite manages to kill him. So Ardyn keeps coming to at the beginning - whenever that is - and progressively gets more angry and more desperate to figure out the right combination for him to die.Filled for FFXV Kink Meme





	

**Author's Note:**

> You can view the full prompt [here](http://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/841.html?thread=1136457#cmt1136457).
> 
> Enjoy!

“Cast away your anger and try again,” Ardyn mumbled to himself and flicked a piece of paper across the table. 

Another redo, another failure at death. How many times had he dealt with this scenario? How much more must he go through with this torture until he had it right? The clockworks were spinning but his very own seemed to bring him back in reverse again and again.

He was no master of time but a fool stuck in its grasp, a spiral of repetitive moments. As if being an immortal for over thousands of years wasn't enough to worsen his suffering.

Galdin Quay was his destination once more. A finished plate in front of him and a glass of their best wine left him satisfied with a full stomach.

Enjoyable it was with every bite and swallow but Ardyn's time here wasn’t so. He was a bit annoyed and not nearly at the edge of killing himself. Funny thing was that he can’t, no matter how many times he tried.

Ardyn kept counting down the minutes when he knew exactly when Noctis would arrive.

With a gracious tip to the server, he left his seat to meet with the boy. Not for long, Ardyn found who he was looking for. The very same sentences were spoken as if his entire life was staged, playing out the main character in some tragic play.

He mentioned about the ceasefire and doubts of boats coming to land. He even parted a rare coin as a small gift to Noctis.

“We will see each other again soon. The fates will make sure of that.”

Fast forward.

They met again at Lestallum, and this time Ardyn was nice enough to allow Noctis to sit in the front seat but never the wheel. No matter what, he refused to let anyone except himself to drive his precious darling. He saved up every gil to make sure this car would belong to him

“I have a question for you, dear prince,” Ardyn said as they were on the road. His gaze caught the Regalia still following behind with the spectacle man as the driver in the mirror.

“What?” Noctis remained glue to the phone in his hand, fingers swiping across the screen.

“I hope we can exchange numbers, in case you need a little help during your travels,” Ardyn suggested and took another turn toward the Disc of Cauthess.

Noctis stared, hints of mistrust in those eyes. “Oh really?”

“If you need help with _anything_ I can assure you that my timing will be impeccable unless it’s something small and you would only need to text away.”

Silence.

“Do you doubt my abilities, Noct? May I call you Noct?"

Noctis raised a brow. “No. And if I don’t want to?”

“Ah, but you never know the perils you might get yourself in. Think of me as another ally to aid you when all else fails. Not to say I do not doubt your dearly beloved friends to save you but they are mortal men, they bleed and know pain.” Ardyn smiled and took out his phone toward Noctis. "You wouldn't want that to happen to them."

“And what about you? You’re the same as them.”

Ardyn had to stop himself from making a complete fool of himself and quelled the notion of telling him how Noctis was wrong in many ways. It wouldn't do him any good to have Noctis to not trust him in this early of the game. “Don’t you worry about me. I have much experience under my belt that got me far ahead in life.”

The expectation here was for Noctis to say 'yes' since they had been through a similar conversation previously. The younger man remained silent and in thought while Ardyn could already see the subtle acceptance but the turmoil within Noctis was easily understandable.

“Fine,” Noctis finally answered and grabbed the phone from Ardyn’s hand. He typed his number in and gave it back to him. “Happy now?”

“Thank you. I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.”

After the success with Noctis and the waking of Titan, Ardyn made sure to keep a respective distance behind as he followed the crew throughout the travels and kept a watch on Noctis' survival. Thankfully, he was alive and well.

This plan of Ardyn's amounted as fair. In time, he watched Noctis succeeded in obtaining the royal arms that were scattered around. Ardyn helped obviously but not like he expected a 'thank you'. All of that was done before the prince set sail to Altissia where everything would start to change.

And when the mighty Leviathan rose from the depths of the waters and the storms raged the city, Ardyn would play his part, but this time when he struck his own dagger into Lunafreya’s flesh, he knew Noctis witness this very moment, and left her to her own fate for a chance to greet the boy himself.

When Ardyn arrived by Noctis’ side, he found him seething with anger. That was the kind of expression he wanted to see.

“You bastard!” Noctis gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand but his body failed him. The air around them circulated of debris and the Hydraen continued her rampage.

Ardyn bent a knee down, close to Noctis’ level and tilted his head. “Was that act more than enough to fill you with such emotion? Do you desire to kill me now?”

With a broken cry, Noctis drove his blade into Ardyn’s chest, missing his heart in the process. An act Ardyn foresaw and he looked at the weapon in his body with disappointment.

“Ouch,” Ardyn replied in a dull manner and grabbed the blade with his right hand. “You need more power if you want to kill me for real.” With the added strength, he shoved the blade deeper into himself as Noctis could only stare in horror.

“Wh-what?” Noctis tried to pull back but Ardyn kept a steady hold, the weapon remained still inside.

“You’re not ready yet,” Ardyn stated calmly. The blade felt nothing to him but only a slight sting of a needle poking a finger. He then removed the blade out and stood to brush some dust off his outfit. The blood ignored.

A Niflheim airship appeared behind Ardyn, and he took it as his cue to leave. “I should be on my way, take care Your Majesty. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

When the Levianthan was calmed and Altissia went back to recovering from the wreck, Ardyn expected everything to go well but this time, Noctis was the one who closed himself off after Lunafreya’s death.

Ardyn had to make an appearance to snap Noctis out of it, hating that after all of this, it was all for nought. Noctis before him was emptied of emotions, incomprehensible to the world around him.

And that was when Ardyn knew he too had lost.

-

Time brought him back to the beginning. Ardyn cursed at the Gods again.

In this point, he promised to himself that he would make it right.

Ardyn became a traveling companion, a kind stranger who was in need of a boat as well. With Noctis heading to Altissia, Ardyn figured the best plan was to stick together, but Noctis and company weren’t so sure about the whole idea of bringing him aboard.

Of course, Ardyn promised them that they would gain a good friend and a party of five had more benefits than four.

With much talks and convincing, Ardyn waited at the side. Watching them talking things through, a few bickers here and there until Noctis accepted the offer, and the Chancellor introduced himself with only his first name.

In time, traveling with the prince was an interesting discovery especially taking note of how he was like around his friends. Each and everyone had their own part to play especially when they decided to camp.

Ardyn learned to appreciate Ignis’ cooking skills and shared his own knowledge of recipes that the chef might be interested in learning, but the one man by the name of Gladiolus Amicitia was not to be fooled. Like father, like son.

Arguments arose, and Ardyn had no time to listen to a child's rant but young Prompto was the ticket in calming the prince’s shield. No need for fights when Ardyn didn’t make a move on them and with his skills in battle, things gotten easier with him there. Surprisingly, Prompto stood up for him when no one did.

He appreciated the shooter's sincerity despite knowing that this would play out. He didn’t fault Gladiolus for his mistrust since the big guy was only doing his job to protect the prince.

When the night settled and everyone was set to bed, Ardyn tended to the fire a little bit and admired the outdoors. The forest around them and the subtle sounds of the night animals scurrying through the paths and bushes. The moon set high in the sky, a perfect view amongst the stars shimmering in such radiant beauty.

Then footsteps came closer, and Noctis’ appearance almost startled him. “Not tired?”

Ardyn threw in the last piece of wood for the night. “Not at all. Thought I would come to appreciate the view for a little while.”

He noticed the pause and waited but when the prince didn’t say a word, he chimed in instead. “Join me. How often do you get this kind of sight out here?” He laid on the grass, an arm behind his head. 

“Oh, uh, okay.” Noctis seemed to relax and followed Ardyn as he sat down next to him.

The older man pointed to the sky. “Do you know of the stars that are out now?”

“Eh... Don’t know, never really looked before.”

“Then let me educate you.”

“Okay.”

Days turned to weeks. They dealt with magitek soldiers and fought side by side with victory in mind. Their journey carried them forward, and Ardyn was comfortable. Too comfortable. It felt unreal.

Ardyn never did realized the possibilities until now or how the way Noctis looked at him with this hidden desire that made his heart soften for quick seconds.

They both didn’t say no when that time came.

That was when Ardyn knew that he was royally fucked.

-

Galdin Quay. More like goddamn why. Ardyn was sorely getting tired of coming back to this place. Nice view and fresh fish, that was as much fondness he had before noting this place as 'recommended areas to go fuck yourself except the spa'.

Noctis was here once more and Ardyn created the same path. More familiar sentences and expected responses.

Until the train ride to Tenebrae, he was frozen by the touch of Shiva before Noctis had the balls to strike him until he was only bits of frozen meat. How dare he destroyed his icicle body without a moment of hesitation! That really hurt his feelings. After all they had been through and Noctis treated him like he was nothing.

Absurd. Ridiculous. Out of line too.

Ardyn failed again.

Back to Goddamn Why, he knew what he had to do.

A repeat of the train sequence but this time, Ardyn was ready for a fight. His weapon in hand and Noctis dangerously wild. How he wouldn’t forgive him for Luna’s death but it mattered not to Ardyn. He didn’t care who died because it was him who wanted to embrace death, and with Prompto out of the way, it made Noctis the kind of danger that Ardyn wanted to dance with.

Ardyn felt the sorrow and anger Noctis carried in his heart. With every swing felt weaker than the last. This wasn’t what he wanted.

No. This was wrong.

-

Ten years later and the darkness crossed the lands as the daemons ruled across Leide and Duscae, killing and killing. Hunters worked over time, some successful and some pushed back, but Ardyn spent his days waiting ever so patiently for the right moment, mostly staying around Leide before heading back to Insomnia.

He watched the kids grown up to be adults, taking on hunts and traveling from different hunter headquarters that were set up. The aging Cid moved out of Hammerhead to Lestallum, and that young Amicitia girl grew up to be a fighter like her brother. The Marshal had a hand toward helping her growth. He too grew older but still held the title of the ‘Immortal’ well with his Kotetsu by his side.

But Ardyn still remained the same whether they died or not, and he was abiding his time, waiting for the more bigger things in life than watching ants with their hobbies.

So he waited on the throne with lifeless bodies chained and hung like a decor above him, matching the walls and the grueling outlook of what Insomnia now represented.

When he was alerted to the awakening of His Majesty, he could feel the excitement already.

The wait was over. He shouldn’t be surprised when Noctis failed when they met.

But he was so very close.

Again.

And again.

-

It was always a repeat, a consecutive losing streak for Ardyn and honestly, he was getting tired of being stuck because of one goddamn Noctis Lucis Caelum who seemed to screw up in more ways than one.

Ardyn didn’t want Noctis fail, he wanted him to succeed so he can finally die and yet, here he was at the beginning for god knows how many times. He found himself at the beginning (for the hundredth time) as he took his walk out of Galdin Quay, but when he found Noctis and his band of brothers heading inside, he decided to do things a little differently.

Different was good. Not necessarily terrible but Ardyn was ready to lose it if he had to see Noctis’ face again.

Instead of throwing the coin, he immediately unleashed his crossbow and prayed this sort of challenge will give him what he was looking for. Noctis’ friends were on the defensive immediately and Ardyn gave them a fight of their lives.

Desperation set in Ardyn’s eyes, and he saw how Noctis wasn’t going to back away from the challenge. Good. That was good. He can’t let this get boring between them.

But the fight was over. Ardyn failed as he laid on the floor, every customer and employee of Galdin Quay fled for their lives, away from the broken down interior and destruction their fight had caused.

Footsteps came forward. Ardyn looked to find Noctis staring down at him, a face of multiple questions of ‘why’s and ‘who are you exactly’.

Ardyn grimaced before coughing up some merrily laughs as his body wasted on the floor. “A man of no consequence.”

-

Ardyn was not a desperate man. No. He would not force Noctis to end him in some dungeon when he promised him that he would find the material he needed. He refrained himself from doing so but the challenge of stopping himself was hard.

It gotten progressively worse. Reset. Rinse and repeat. He was about to lose it all.

He can do this though. He was Ardyn Lucis Caelum, after all.

Then ten years in the crystal happened. He will wait that long again.

The agonizing pain set his mind ablaze.

Ifrit was defeated.

A step closer and closer to that very correct path.

-

Every weapon in Noctis’ disposal was thrown at him. Ardyn couldn’t counterattacked against the Chosen King and when it was all over, he felt not pain but freedom deep in his bones.

“So that is how you would end it.” When Ardyn finally fell onto the cold ground, he could only stare at the man who wanted him to be at rest and Ardyn’s last words were that he would wait for his arrival in the beyond.

Memories of his previous attempts faded away and his eyes awaken to the land where he would wait just a little bit more.

Seconds. Minutes.

And there he was.

Fabulous timing.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Find me at [ofskinandbones](http://www.ofskinandbones.tumblr.com).


End file.
